Bob Velin
249 articles · USA Today
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Top Rank to put bout between Pacquiao-Mosley on Showtime
In a ground-breaking move announced Wednesday, Showtime and its parent company, CBS, will team up with Top Rank Promotions to promote, produce and televise the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley welterweight title fight in…
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USA TODAY’s Best of 2010: Who packed the most punch
There's no question 2010 has been a curious year for the sport of boxing. Ten months with a handful of fights of major consequence, then two months packed with top matchups and…
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Trained by the best, Amir Khan puts 140-pound title on the line
The way Amir Khan sees it, he's spent a lot of time sparring with the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and is trained by arguably the No. 1 trainer in the…
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Mickey Ward: Friend, rival Arturo Gatti would have liked ‘The Fighter’
Micky Ward remembers the last conversation he had with his friend and former foe, Arturo Gatti, with whom Ward fought one of the great trilogies in boxing history in 2002-03. "I was…
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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. pulls out of PPV fight because of flu
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. pulled out of his scheduled bout against Pawel Wolak Saturday in Anaheim, Calif., because of flu-like symptoms. The event will still go on. That means both original fighters…
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Marquez vs. Katsidis, three other title fights rule weekend
Americans are giving thanks this week for family, good food and good health. Boxing fans might want to throw in a little thanks for HBO, Showtime and a feast of good matchups.…
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Sergio Martinez, Paul Williams talk tough as rematch looms
The WBC middleweight champion, Sergio Martinez, has a lot going for him. In a little less than a year, the man nicknamed "Maravilla" ? The Wonder ? has made a rapid rise…
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Manny Pacquiao manhandles Antonio Margarito in title fight
ARLINGTON, Texas ? Manny Pacquiao proved beyond a doubt Saturday night what most people believed coming into his super welterweight championship fight against Antonio Margarito ? that size doesn't matter as much…
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Pacquiao not concerned about size disadvantage vs. Margarito
ARLINGTON, Texas ? By the time they step into the ring Saturday night for their super welterweight title showdown at Cowboys Stadium, Antonio Margarito could outweigh Manny Pacquiao by as much as…
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Manny Pacquiao shares his blessings with poor, not foes
ARLINGTON, Texas ? He came from the poorest of the poor in a poverty-stricken area of Sarangani Province on the Philippine island of Mindanao, scrounging daily for food for his family. Eating…
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Arum: Pacquiao is ‘lagging behind’ with Margarito near
Bob Arum went to the Philippines this week to watch his prized boxer, Manny Pacquiao, train for his Nov. 13 light middleweight title fight with Antonio Margarito in Dallas. What the 79-year-old…
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Mayweather’s November fight will be in courtroom, not ring
In November, a month most boxing fans had hoped to give thanks for the long-overdue Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao mega-fight, expected to be the highest-grossing prizefight of all time, Mayweather instead will…
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For Manny Pacquiao: No Floyd Mayweather, no problem
Saying he didn't need a fight with Floyd Mayweather to complete his career, Manny Pacquiao, in a visit Thursday to USA TODAY, said he'd be waiting when Mayweather was ready to fight.…
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Time ‘certainly running out’ on Ward-Dirrell bout in September
The long-awaited Sept. 25 Super Six World Classic super middleweight title fight between former Olympic teammates and friends Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell might have to wait a while longer. The fight,…
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Victorious Juan Manuel Marquez now focused on Manny Pacquiao
LAS VEGAS ? It has become an obsession by now, but Juan Manuel Marquez didn't wait long after polishing off Juan Diaz for the second time Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay…
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Juan Diaz focused on rematch but eyes life beyond boxing too
Willie Savannah laughs as he recalls the first time Juan Diaz walked into his Houston boxing club 18 years ago. "Juan was a little fat kid ? 8 years old, 110 pounds…
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Mayweather-Pacquiao talks: Sides still dispute existence
HBO President Ross Greenburg disputed a claim by Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s adviser last week that there have been no negotiations for a highly anticipated Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega-fight. Leonard Ellerbe released a statement…
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Strange turn in negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather bout
The so-called negotiations for a highly anticipated, but thus far ill-fated Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather mega-fight, took a bizarre turn this week when Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe released a statement that disputed that…
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Pacquiao-Mayweather chances slim for ’10 says Top Rank boss
With a Friday deadline looming, hopes for a Nov. 13 mega-fight between boxing superstars Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are all but dead, according to Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank, which…
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HBO floats plan for clarity in the junior welterweight ranks
Junior welterweight (140 pounds) is one of boxing's most competitive weight divisions, featuring the likes of undefeated champion Tim Bradley, up-and-coming superstars Devon Alexander and Amir Khan, as well as Juan Urango…
